Saving a parking spot

Youre rushed for time. You need to stop at the store for a few items. The parking lot is filled to overflowing, except for those two spaces right near the door.

Unfortunately, theyre marked Handicapped Parking.

What do you do?

It has become a test of character and, increasingly, people are making the right choice: Drive around the lot until a spot opens up, or park at a distance and jog to the store to make up for lost time.

Its been a long battle to get able-bodied people to respect handicapped spaces, but recent spot-checks around town revealed no violations at Wasillas major stores.

That shows people are becoming sensitive to the needs of disabled drivers, said Jim Beck, who works with the state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in Palmer.

Everybody looks to see if you have the placard, Beck said. The public seems to think that these spaces are important, and to be willing to defend them.

It also may be a matter of the $100 citation for illegal parking.

Wasilla Police Chief Charlie Fannon said his officers write one or two citations a week in winter, and about a half-dozen a week in summer.

Handicapped parking permits can be either specially marked license plates or placards hung from the rearview mirror.

Sometimes people unfairly challenge motorists in handicapped spaces because they see regular license plates and fail to notice the placard in front, Beck said.

Beck, who is himself disabled, acknowledges being aggressive in protecting the civil rights of handicapped drivers.

Ive confronted many people, and its probably lucky I didnt get my lights punched out, he said. Ive blocked people in and called the police on my cell phone.

But I like to try to educate people that those spaces are necessary. To be honest, I dont see that many violations, he said. I dont think (violators) are evil. I think they just dont know. The last person I saw that just flagrantly pulled in was a teen-ager. Mostly, its people using them as a loading zone: Ill be right back!

Still, disabled drivers do find their access blocked occasionally.

Bill Kelley is a former logger who suffers debilitating pain from a back injury.

I dont see the city doing that great a job to enforce it, said Kelley, a Wasilla resident. I dont ever see the cops doing their jobs, they dont run through parking lots. Ive never seen them writing tickets.

I have implants in my spine. I cant walk too far. In the next few years, Ill probably be in a wheelchair. And theres a lot of people here who are worse off than I am. We do get out and try to do things, but theres so many doors that just arent open to us.

Seeing violators in handicapped spaces really makes me angry, Kelley said.

Some stores have handicapped markings on the pavement, but they are covered by ice all winter. Ideally, signs should be on posts on the sidewalk. Worse is when there are designated spaces, but people crowd them on each side so there is no room to maneuver a wheelchair.

The width is really important if you have a wheelchair or a walker, Beck said. I walk with crutches but I use a wheelchair a lot, and Ive sometimes been blocked from getting out of my car or getting back into it.

David Maltman is the executive director of the Governors Council on Disabilities and Special Education.

Were all TABs: Temporarily Able-Bodied, he said. As you age naturally, your body deteriorates in a way that sometimes results in a disability. What will change a persons behavior more than anything is to break a leg and have it in a cast for a few weeks.

In dealing with violators, Maltman said, the approach that we suggest is one of courtesy. Many people arent aware of why people with disabilities should have this benefit. The violators dont understand the obstacles that people with disabilities face, why they need so much space to open a door and get into a wheelchair.

You dont notice people rolling along in their wheelchairs. Thats why Congress said it was a matter of safety in parking lots to have spaces close to stores, Maltman said.

Beck admits some people take advantage of the free permits, exaggerating their health problems or getting a placard for transporting an elderly relative and then continuing to use it when alone.

Permanent permits are valid for five years, temporary ones for six months.

Beck said it is easy to get a doctor to issue a permit.

But I know they kind of revamped the program, trying to make the process a little more rigorous, he said. Theres a real problem with people who have a legitimate disability that you cant see, so its dangerous to make that assumption. Some people have serious disabilities that are really invisible.

People are unaware of how difficult it is for people who have multiple sclerosis, but still walk. They dont realize how important just 15 feet can be to that persons being able to do things on their own, Beck said.

Fannon encourages people to call police if they see violations, jot down license plate numbers and carry around pre-printed stickers to place on windshields to remind people to be courteous.